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2.8 Operating In Salt Water or Polluted Water
If the boat is kept moored in the water, always tilt the outboard so the water intake is completely out of water
when not in use.
Wash down the outboard exterior and flush out the exhaust outlet of the jet drive with fresh water after each
use.
When used in salt water more than in fresh water, remove mounting hardware, grease, and reassemble
once a year. Failure to do this may result in hardware that is difficult if not impossible to remove at a later
date.
2.9 Operating In Shallow Water
The life of the impeller and water intake can be greatly increased by avoiding the intake of sand and gravel.
The intake suction will act like a dredge when the water intake comes close to the bottom. It is better to stop
the engine and drift up to shore when landing, and to shove off with an oar when leaving. The engine can
idle through areas of water less than 61 cm (2 ft.) deep, but there should be more than 61 cm (2 ft.) of water
under the boat when increasing speed to reach full plane.
Once the boat is on plane, the boat speed will prevent the ingestion of gravel and other debris from the
bottom. The suction is still present, but the water intake passes too quickly over the bottom to allow debris
to be drawn into the water intake.
When boating through shallow water areas, choose a course of travel that avoids sharp rocks and other
underwater obstacles that could damage the boat. Running the boat through these areas on full plane may
be helpful as the boat will be riding higher in the water. If the boat gets stuck on the bottom, immediately
stop the engine and move the boat to deeper water.
